HIT student Chloe Bruno awarded ILHIMA scholarship

INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College sophomore Chloe Bruno of Harrisburg was recently announced the recipient of the Illinois Health Information Management Association (ILHIMA) Undergraduate Scholarship.

As a Health Information Technology (HIT) student who lives outside of RLC’s district, Bruno said the scholarship is a big help as she travels to and from home.

“The closest school for me is SIC (Southeastern Illinois College). This scholarship has made a big difference for me. It costs more for me to attend RLC because of the drive, so it helps offset some of those costs for me,” said Bruno.

RLC is able to offer the HIT program to students in SIC’s district thanks to a shared agreement between the two colleges. It serves as another way to provide more programs to those who live in the region.

Chloe Bruno, Health Information Technology Scholar

Currently, Bruno is a distance-learning student who splits her time between traveling to the Ina campus and online classes. In the future, Bruno said she’s planning for a career solely-online to give her the opportunity to do what she loves: travel.

“I really want to have online work because I want the freedom to live wherever I want. That is why I pursued HIT. I know coding can be a great online job, so I decided to pursue it, even though it meant driving an hour to get to RLC,” said Bruno.

With one year left in the program, Bruno said her goal to get certified is the next big step.

“I would like to become a Certified Coding Specialist, that way I can work from home. I love traveling, so I plan to move out of the country and work remotely, hopefully from the local area,” said Bruno. “So far I’ve learned a lot and I am looking forward to my internship next year.”

To learn more about RLC’s Health Information Technology program, visit www.rlc.edu/allied-health/health-information-tech or call 618-437-5321, Ext. 1251.

The $1,000 ILHIMA Undergraduate Scholarship supports professional development of students across the state. To learn more about ILHIMA, visit their website at www.ilhima.org.